Appliance for making plasters.



Patented July 30, I90l.

N6 PLASTEBS.

It]. CBO APPLIANCE FOB IAKI lApylicati-on filed Ap UNTTTT) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY A. CROSS, OF CAMDEN, MAINE.

APPLIANCE FOR MAKING PLASTERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 679,498, dated July 30, 1901.

Application filed April 16, 1901.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. CROSS, of Camden, in the county of Knox and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Appliances for Making Plasters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to appliances for making a medicinal plaster for application to the human body,the plaster comprisinga flexible sheet of cloth or other suitable material and a coating composed of a medicated composition adapted to be rendered fluid by heat and to be hardened when cooled, said coating being applied to the central portion of the backin g-sheet, leaving the marginal portion thereof bare.

The invention has for its obj eot to provide a simple and effective appliance whereby plas ters of this character may be conveniently and rapidly manufactured.

The invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of an appliance embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section of the same. Figs. 3-, 4, and 5 represent sectional views of portions of the appliance, illustrating the operation of making a plaster. Fig. 6 represents aperspective View showing a portion of a completed plaster.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, (t represents a base or block having a raised central portion a, surrounded by a depressed marginal seat a between which and the margin of the raised central portion is a shoulder a The appliance here illustrated is adapted for use in the manufacture of oblong plasters of rectangular form, the raised portion a of the bed being formed to support the portion of the backing-sheet b upon which the medicated coating 0 is placed, while the depressed margin or seat a is formed to support the marginal portion of the sheet surrounding the coating 0. \Vhen the sheet I) is laid upon the block, its marginal portion is depressed and separated from the raised central por- Sqricl No. 56,116. (No model.)

tion by a shouldered portion lying upon the shoulder 01.

To one end of the bed a is connected by hinges d d a movable frame, which is formed to bear upon the depressed marginal portion of the sheet I) and hold the same down upon the seat a the inner edge of the frame being formed to bear closely upon and compress the shouldered portion of the sheet 12 and press the same against the shoulder a so that the melted composition 0 cannot flow down upon the shouldered portion of the sheet b. Said frame, as here shown, is composed of a frame-body 6, formed to surround the upper portion of the bed a, and a rectangular flange e, attached by screws to the members of the frame-body e and projecting inwardly from the said frame-body over the seat a The said seat a and the flange e are preferably inclined, as shown in the drawings, the form and arrangement of the flange 6 being such that its inner edge is substantially flush with the upper surface of the sheet I), while its upper surface slopes downwardly from the upper surface of the sheet, as shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 4. The flange e is provided at the inner edge of its under side with a beveled face 6 which is formed to bear upon the shouldered portion of the sheet I) and to press the latter firmly against the shoulder a the said face 6 intersecting the upper surface of the flange e and forming therewith an acute-angled lip or edge which bears closely against the up per surface of the sheet l) at the highest part of the shouldered portion of the sheet, and thus prevents the melted composition 0 from finding its way between the sheet and the face 6 The shoulder a is somewhat oompressible, so that it yields sufficiently to the downward pressure of the face 6 to permit said face to fit tightly upon the shouldered portion of the sheet 5, and thus insure against any possibility of the melted composition 0 finding its way between the beveled face 6 and the shouldered portion of the sheet. The

compressibility of the shoulder a may be secured by applying to the bed a a covering layer a*, of suitable compressible material, such as enameled cloth, said layer a covering the raised portion a of the bed and the shoulder a its upper surface constituting the upper surfaces of the raised portion a, the seat a and the shoulder a For convenience the body of the raised portion a may be composed of layers of paper or cardboard, which may be slightly compressible. It will be seen that the compressibility of the shoulder a added to the compressibility of the sheet 1) enables the beveled face 6 of the frame to form a tight joint with the portion of the sheet on which it bears, and thus exclude the melted composition 0 from the crevice between the beveled face e and the portion of the sheet on which it bears.

I provide a clamping device adapted to exert downward pressure on the frame, and thus press the beveled face a thereof against the shouldered portion of the sheet b. As here shown, the said clamping device is a sash-fastener of well-known construction and comprises a stud g, journaled in a plate h, aflixed to the swinging end of the frame-body c, said stud having an offset or eccentric portion g, which is rotatable in an orifice t", formed in a hook t'. Said hook is adapted to be moved longitudinally by the rotation of the stud g, which is effected by means of a handle or lever g j represents a hooked -member fixed to the lower portion of the bed a and adapted to engage the movable hook 2'. When the stud g is turned to raise the eccentric portion g, the hooki is pressed upwardly against the hook j and caused to draw the frame downwardly, and thus cause the beveled face 6 to exert pressure on the shoul-- dered portion of the sheet I). When the stud g is turned to depress the eccentric portion 9, the pressure of the hook '11 on the hookj is discontinued, and the hook t can be swung out of place to permit the frame to be raised.

In operating the device above described the frame is raised, uncovering the depressed marginal portion of the bed. The sheet I) is then laid upon the bed, and the frame 6 is then depressed, its flange e pressing the marginal portion of the. sheet downwardly upon the seat a The composition 0 is then poured upon the exposed portion of the sheet I), said composition overflowing the margin of the exposed portion upon the upper surface of the flange e, as shown in Fig. 3. After the composition has become hardened by cooling the operator draws a suitable cutting-blade along the inner edge of the flange 6, thus trimming from the portion of the coating on the sheet I) the surplus portion which lies upon the upper surface of the flange 6', so that when the frame 6 is again raised the said surplus portion will be removed with the frame, to be subsequently scraped off, the marginal portion of the sheet I) being thus uncovered, as shown in Fig. 5, so that the nowcompleted plaster can be removed and laid aside ready for packing.

It will now be seen that the inner edge of the flange e constitutes a knife-guide and that in moving a knife along the said guide it is necessary to make four distinct movements in trimming the coating. To facilitate this trimming operation I mount the bed a so that it can be rotated horizontally, thus enabling the operator to turn the bed after each stroke or movement of the knife so that the movement of the knife may always be in one direction, it having been found that the trimming operation can be more quickly effected in this way than would be possible if the bed were fixed so that the operator hadto move the knife along four sides of the space bounded by the flange c, the latter being fixed. The rotatability of the bed a is permitted by means of a pivotbolt 0, which connects the bed a with a base p, which may be rigidly secured to a table or other support.

In the construction here shown the bed is made in two sections 2'and 3. Section 2 has a cavity 4: in its under side to receive a nut 5, engaged with the upper end of the bolt 0, the said bolt passing through the section 3 into the cavity 4.

I claim- 1. An apparatus for making plasters, comprising a bed or block adapted to support a flexible sheet, the margin of said bed being depressed and separated from the raised central portion thereof by a compressible shoulder, and a movable frame formed to hold the marginal portion of the sheet down upon the depressed portion of the bed, the under side of the frame having a beveled face adapted to compress and closely confine the portion of the sheet bearing on said shoulder, and prevent access to said portion of a melted coating compositionapplied to the exposed portion of the sheet, the inner edge of the frame constituting a knife-guide, so that the cooled portion of the coating lying on the frame may be trimmed from the portion lying on the exposed portion of the sheet.

2. An apparatus for making plasters, comprising a bed or block adapted to support a flexible sheet, the margin of said bed being depressed and separated from the raised central portion thereof by a compressible shoulder, a movable frame formed to hold the marginal portion of the sheet downupon the depressed portion of the bed, the under side of the frame having a beveled face adapted to compress and closely confine the portion of the sheet bearing on said shoulder, said frame being hinged at one end to the bed, and a clamp composed of a member mounted on the swinging end of the frame, and a cooperating member mounted on the bed, whereby downward pressure may be exerted on the frame.

3. An apparatus for making plasters, comprising a bed or block adapted to support a flexible sheet, a movable frame formed to bear on the marginal portion of the said sheet and prevent the access to said marginal portion of a melted coating composition applied to the central portion of the sheet, the inner edge of the frame constituting a knife-guide, so that the surplus portion of the cooled coating lying on the frame may be trimmed from the portion lying on the exposed portion of the sheet, and a base to which said block is pivoted, whereby the block may be turned horizontally to facilitate the trimming operation.

4. An apparatus for making plasters, comprising a bed or block adapted to support a flexible sheet, the margin of said bed being depressed and separated from the raised central portion thereof by a compressible shoulder, and a movable frame composed of a frame-body hinged at one end to the bed and formed to surround the upper portion of the same, and a flange projecting inwardly from I 5 the said body over the depressed marginal portion of the bed, the under side of the flange having a beveled face adapted to compress and closely confine the portion of the sheet bearing on said shoulder, While the inner 2o edge of the flange constitutes a knife-guide.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

HENRY A. CROSS.

Witnesses:

M. T. CRAWFORD, GEO. H. TALBOT. 

